TEMECULA: Wild taxi rates prompt "meter shock"

Temecula lets the free market govern the rates charged by the city's taxi companies, a laissez faire regulatory approach that makes calling a cab in this city a crapshoot.

Call one company and the rate is $2.60 per mile. Call another and it's $3.85.

It's even more complicated if you throw in a trip to Wine Country.

Cab rides that start in Wine Country, which is outside the city's limits, generally cost $3 per mile. Cab rides that start within the city limits cost whatever the cabbie is charging.

This has led some visitors to Wine Country to claim they were ripped off on their trip east after they arrive back at the hotel and the price for a ride of the same distance ends up $20 less.

In one case witnessed by cabbie Carl Nielsen of Red Top Cab, an enraged Wine Country visitor suffering from "meter shock" ripped out the meter from a cab because he felt he was being scammed.

"We find it all the time," Nielsen said.

The city's rules, spelled out in its municipal code, require a cab company to post its rates on the inside of the cab in "full view of the passengers." In addition, those rates must be submitted to the city as a public record.

In response to a request from The Press-Enterprise, the city provided the full list:

A-1 Yellow Cab: $3.25 per mile

At Your Service: $3.85

Bell Cab: $2.60

Blue Crown: $3

Blacks: $2.75

City View of Temecula Valley: $3

Ebeid Taxi: $3.50

Finish Line: $3

Got Cab: $3.85

Independent: $3.50

MMN: $3

Nomad: $3

Red Top: $3

Sheri's Taxi: $3.50

Taxi Temecula: $3

Temecula Taxi: $3.75

Wendy's Taxi: $3

Taxis that don't abide by the city's rules can face fines, according to the code. But Nielsen said he doesn't think the city has ever issued a fine or tasked the police department with monitoring taxi cab operations.

This has emboldened some cab operators, he said, and they have been charging rates that don't reflect the numbers on file with the city and/or driving around in vehicles without markings, another violation of city rules.

Sheri Tilton, the Sheri ofÂ Sheri's Taxi,Â said she charges $3.50 per mile, a rate she boosted awhile back because of higher gas prices.

Some of the other cabs, however, are charging $4 or more.

"They have six rates on their meters," she said. "They have the ability to press the button and change the rate."

That translates, she said, to folks getting charged more than double for a taxi ride of similar length.

In one example Tilton related, one of her regulars gets a ride from The Edge in Old Town to a home off Nicolas Road. In her cab, that trip costs $20.

That same trip cost $48 when her regular customer used another company, she said.

"Some cab companies don't even use the meter," she said. "It's a mess out there. ... It's not the rates that are the problem. A lot of cabs are running without taxi insurance, the equipment they are supposed to have in their cars."

Others are refusing service to customers interested in taking a short trip, a violation of the city's code.

Police Chief Andre O'Harra said in an email the complaints have reached his desk and the city is reviewing its ordinance for potential updates/additions or clarifications.

"Itâ€™s hard to say what will result but the concerns brought forward will be carefully considered," he said.

Betsy Lowery, a city planner, said Monday in an email that she was not aware of the city issuing any fine or tickets "as of yet."

"The city is taking these complaints seriously and we are reviewing our ordinance and administrative procedures to determine what can be improved upon to ensure compliance. Currently, the Police Department is conducting annual inspections on taxicabs and if they are not in compliance, their taxicab permits will not be renewed," she said.

At a recent council meeting, Nielsen aired his concerns about the the city's taxi fleet, singling out for criticism some of the smaller, one or two car operations that were started a few years ago during the recession.

Mayor Mike Naggar, in response, said the city would look into the matter and possibly take up the issue during an upcoming meeting of the city's Public/Traffic Safety Commission.

Tilton said she plans to address the council at a future meeting to share her concerns.

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